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Fire Professor or Lose Funds, Columbia Alumni Say
Columbia Spectator ^
| 04/03/03
| Margaret Hunt Gram
Posted on 04/03/2003 9:16:45 AM PST by Jeff Head
Some alumni donors are pressuring the president's office and the Office of Development and Alumni Relations to fire Professor Nicholas De Genova for statements he made in last week's anti-war teach-in.
In the past few days, donors have barraged the offices with emails and phone calls, informing the University that they feel that De Genova overstepped the limits of academic free speech.
In mass-mailed email messages circulated among each other, alumni have urged each other to issue an ultimatum to the University: Fire De Genova or lose our donations.
"We've gotten a lot of calls," said Thomas Gray, who is in charge of alumni giving in the Office of Development and Alumni Relations. "The people who have called have been very upset. They're proud of their college heritage, and they're very unhappy that this occurred."
CC alumnus Steve Stuart wrote an email a few days ago to over 100 alumni--whose combined "net worth," he said, is at least $250 million--asking them to express outrage to University President Lee Bollinger.
"Until he is fired, the University will suffer," Stuart said. Many of those alumni responded to Stuart's request with letters sent directly to Bollinger. Like Stuart's, nearly all of the emails issued warnings regarding the alumni's continued financial support of the University.
Frank Cicero, CC '92 and Senior Vice President of Investment Banking at Lehman Brothers, told Bollinger that he felt De Genova's presence on campus "pollutes the educational atmosphere."
That "pollution" may compel Cicero to stop contributing to the University.
"In the past, I believed that it was naive and in bad taste for alumni to withhold gifts because of the political opinions of faculty members," Cicero said in his email to Bollinger. "However, I am now considering doing just that in response to the vile and mendacious comments made by De Genova."
Donor Peter Ross, CC '87, MBA '94, and a member of the Ivory Capital Group, told Bollinger that De Genova's comments made him ashamed of the University.
"This will weigh heavily on my heart at the end of the year when I consider the financial sacrifice that I am willing to make for the University," Ross wrote.
For other alumni, the controversy has become a family matter. Vincent Butkiewicz, CC '79 and MBA '85, promised Bollinger that he would cancel the donation he made in a recent fund drive, assuring him that "you should not expect to see any donations from me nor an application for admission from any of my children until Prof. De Genova has been fired."
Peter Butkiewicz, CC '85, sent a nearly identical email. And their father, John Butkiewicz, CC '51 and a former member of the U.S. Army, informed Bollinger that he was revising his will to exclude Columbia.
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TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; US: New York; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: alumni; antiamerican; columbia; columbiau; degenova; leftists; marxists; nicholasdegenova; proamerican
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Looks like
our FR efforts are spreading, joining with others and paying off. If Columbia refuses to censor and fire e Genova, it will only get worse for Columbia IMHO.
Jeff
1
posted on
04/03/2003 9:16:45 AM PST
by
Jeff Head
To: Jeff Head
Bump! The only message Columbia U. will understand is the one that hurts them in their bottom line. Its about time we began taking back our great institutions of learning from the Marxist scum that have subverted them.
To: joanie-f; Dukie; JohnHuang2; k.trujillo; Travis McGee; Critter; Lurker; harpseal; sneakypete; ...
FYI ... picking up steam.
3
posted on
04/03/2003 9:18:43 AM PST
by
Jeff Head
To: goldstategop
I love the smell of burnt COMMIE in the morning, don't you?
To: Jeff Head
Remember the former SLA member who had become a professor at some university, and the president played the left wing game until alums started to withholding donations and urging other alums to do the same.
5
posted on
04/03/2003 9:20:46 AM PST
by
Grampa Dave
(Anti America Americans are outing themselves as their side loses in Iraq!)
To: Uncle George
Let add the Tenured Feminazis and Black Racists to the list of people who need to be purged as well.
To: Jeff Head
Lecture from DeGenova on how his "free speech" is being squelched should be forthcoming shortly.
To: Jeff Head
John Butkiewicz, CC '51 and a former member of the U.S. Army, informed Bollinger that he was revising his will to exclude Columbia. I LOVE IT! I hope there are a 1000 more Mr. Butkiewicz's out there.
8
posted on
04/03/2003 9:21:34 AM PST
by
lawgirl
(Running from the Grand Ennui)
To: Uncle George
Smoked out, burned and dogged for the rest of their days.
9
posted on
04/03/2003 9:21:37 AM PST
by
Jeff Head
To: lawgirl
May there be 100,000 and more!
To: Desecrated
Awww... he can go and lecture in Syria. I hear there is a great demand for his services over there. ;-)
To: Desecrated
Yea, let them lecture ... he already showed us what his lectures are all about ... killing Americans.
To: Jeff Head
Right on. Retribution is sweet!
To: lawgirl
is degenova a democRAT presidental cand.?
14
posted on
04/03/2003 9:23:07 AM PST
by
rrrod
To: Jeff Head
Great news. This is how you get results. I hope other universities are watching.
To: Grampa Dave
This guy needs the same treatment ... much worse even. May he be smoked out like the belly-draggin' oppossum he is, and then may he be burned and have the infamy of his words and actions dog him the rest of his days.
To: Jeff Head
You know what, to heck with canning the professor, yank their charter. Put US Universities on notice that turning to the dark side is a sure way to end your institution. I am sick and damned tired of these leftist infested rat holes! I pay for them to a certain extent, and I DO NOT approve.
To: Jeff Head
keep it going. don't give up till he is fired, and THEN SOME!
18
posted on
04/03/2003 9:25:04 AM PST
by
AmericanInTokyo
(KIM JONG IL is having another bad underwear day.)
To: Jeff Head
Professor De Genova is going to learn one of the unpleasant truisms of real life: words and actions have consequences. This aspect of reality apparently doesn't hold as true on campus as it does elsewhere, but now reality is rearing its punitive head at Columbia.
19
posted on
04/03/2003 9:25:30 AM PST
by
3AngelaD
To: bigfootbob
I hope they are too ... maybe when some of them crash down from their ivory towers of stench, and burn hard on the ground ... the others will take note and crawl back in the putrid holes that spawned them.
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